South China Sea: ASEAN Mechanism on Maritime Disputes and the Rise of Indo Pacific Region

ABSTRACT

Article Type Research Paper Purpose-The intensification in the South China Sea (SCS) evolved through time concentrating on assertions of sovereignty by the multiplicity of claimants, increasing of competition over maritime resources and worsening geopolitical rivalries among great powers. The Asia- Pacific and Indian Ocean regions are amongst the most dynamic in the world as well as centers of economic growth for decades. Southeast Asia lies in the center of these dynamic regions and is a very important conduit and portal to the same. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has placed the promotion of regional peace and security at the forefront of its endeavors and had taken a proactive approach in evolving a comprehensive regional security architecture by building ASEAN- centric regional security frameworks, namely ASEAN Outlook on the Indo- Pacific, which undertake cooperation in a broad range of areas, including maritime cooperation as well as the ASEAN Regional Forum and the Code of Conduct (COC). The existing and arising geopolitical challenges facing countries in the region revolve around maritime issues. Methodology, Approach-This research employs a doctrinal approach and draws data from primary and secondary sources, including desktop research, with a particular emphasis on recent journals, documents, and official reports. Findings-Despite the efforts made by ASEAN to balance the influence of great powers, its individual member states crafttheir own diplomatic relations according to their economic needs and development. Analysis is on the ASEAN intergovernmental policies and mechanisms, as well as the complexity of geopolitical interest in the South China Sea Dispute. As ASEAN Framework has very weak foundations, it is crucial for ASEAN to focus on the implementation of COC and multilateralism to strengthen its ability to shape regional security dynamic. ASEAN already possesses the mechanisms;all that remains is to endow it with significant implementation powers. Practical Implications-Useful for under- and post- graduate students in writing a literature review. This paper analyses the scholarly and theoretical impact in international law and international relations. Originality, Value-This article analyses the ASEAN mechanism in addressing the maritime dispute in the SCS arising from the shiftof geopolitics in the Indo- Pacific region and is relevant to the contribution of dispute resolution to the current South China Sea conflict.